Commonwealth Day Celebrations 2025, Canberra

The Commonwealth Day Multi-faith Service, Canberra, 2025, featured messages from King Charles, Prime Minister Albanese, and Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish and Sikh Community leaders.

Included in the photo gallery: Governor General, Knights of Bhangra Dancers, African Community Catholic Choir, Canberra Tongan Language and Performing Arts School.

Meet Our Patron: The Governor General of Australia

Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

Ms Sam Mostyn AC was sworn in as Australia’s 28th Governor-General on 1 July 2024. 

A businesswoman and community leader, Ms Mostyn is known for her exceptional service to the Australian community. She has a long history in executive and governance roles across diverse sectors, including business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy and not-for-profit.

In 2024, Ms Mostyn was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service in the social justice, gender equity, sporting, cultural and business sectors, to reconciliation, and to environmental sustainability. She had previously been appointed an Officer of the Order in 2021.

For her continued contribution as an advocate for gender inclusion and equality, sustainability, and climate change action, Ms Mostyn was awarded the 2020 United Nations Day Honour Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Australian National University in 2018.  

Most recently, Ms Mostyn chaired the boards of Aware Super, Centre for Policy Development, Beyond Blue, Australians Investing in Women, Foundation for Young Australians, Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and The Climate Council. 

She has also served on the boards of some of Australia’s leading companies including Mirvac, Citi Australia, Transurban and Virgin Australia. 

She dedicated more than a decade to the boards of the GO Foundation and Climateworks Australia, during this time she also served on the boards of Tonic Media and Global Business & Sustainable Development Commission.

Ms Mostyn was a Commissioner with the Australian Football League for over a decade until 2017. 

She has also been a strong supporter of women in sport, and was an advocate for the creation of the AFL Women’s league and co-founded the Minerva Network, Australia’s only mentorship and development program dedicated to professional female athletes.

From 2013–2017, she was President of the Australian Council for International Development. 

Ms Mostyn became an inaugural commissioner with the National Mental Health Commission in 2012 and Deputy Chair of the Diversity Council of Australia in 2010. She served on the Australian faculty of the Cambridge University Business & Sustainability Leadership Program from 2010–2024. 

She has contributed to independent reviews for the betterment of the community as a member of the panel of the Crawford Sports Funding Review (2009), and Review of the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force (2012). She chaired the NSW Government Women’s Economic Opportunities Review (2022), and Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce report (2023).

She also held membership to the boards of Reconciliation Australia and Australia Council for the Arts.

Before taking on non-executive roles, she held senior executive roles at Insurance Australia Group, Optus, and Cable & Wireless plc.

Ms Mostyn is married to Mr Simeon Beckett SC and they have an adult daughter, Lotte Beckett. Ms Mostyn is an avid Sydney Swans fan, and served on the board from 2017–2024. 

Vale Captain Bill Owen RN and RAN

It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of one of our most cherished members, Captain William (Bill) Lloyd Owen RN and RAN. Bill passed away peacefully in a nursing home in Bundanoon, NSW on Friday 4 October 2024.

Bill finished school in England towards the end of the war and was evacuated to Coventry and was there when that city was bombed by the Luftwaffe. That might explain his rather controversial views on the indiscriminate RAF bombing of German cities, which he opposed vocally, even at the risk of his own naval career. Bill joined the Royal Navy right at the end of the war. He was serving on HMS Glasgow in the immediate post-war period. Glasgow was one of the first RN ships to sail to Singapore in an attempt to reclaim that former British colony. Glasgow was ordered to reposition to South Africa for refit. He then returned to England. After completing officer training Bill became a submariner. He skippered the first British warship, HMS Subtle, into a German port, Wilhelmshaven, in the post war period. He was amused by the fact that when asked what the word ‘subtle’ meant, there was no direct translation in the German language! He spent six months courtesy of the RN in Bavaria learning the German language and became fluent. He was initially thought of as a British spy, but managed to win over many of those he met, in his customary way. He regularly corresponded with these German friends over the years, even after he moved to Australia with the Royal Australian Navy. Another feat before leaving Britain was to skipper a RN submarine under the polar ice cap where he surfaced so the crew could have  quick game of cricket. He finished his naval career as OIC of the RAN Submarine Squadron, based at HMAS Platypus at Neutral Bay in Sydney.

In brief, they just don’t make them like him anymore.

These words from the Police Ode, reflect Bill’s long service history:

As the sun surely sets                                                 

dawn will see it arise,                                          

for service, above self,                                                                                                    

demands its own prize.                                                                                                      

You have fought the good fight:                                                    

life’s race has been run,                                                                                                   

and peace, your reward,                                                                                                                  

for eternity begun.                                                                                        

And we that are left,                                                                                                       

shall never forget,                                                                                                                                       

rest in peace friend and colleague,                                                                              

for the sun has now set.  

Vale Captain Bill Owen. You will be sorely missed.  

Bill was a long-time and valued member of the RCS ACT Branch.  He was 98. A Celebration of Bill’s life and a Wake will be held in Saturday 16 November 2024 at 1400.

to RSVP click here


Banner Photo: Bill Owen (Left) with Matin Hess (Membership Secretary, RCS ACT)

King's Birthday Dinner 2024, Canberra

King’s Birthday Dinner in Canberra

 

The British High Commissioner, H.E. Mrs Vicki Treadell, was guest speaker at this year’s King’s Birthday dinner at the Commonwealth Club, jointly hosted by the RCS and the Australia-Britain Society.

In a wide-ranging address, during which varied aspects of Australia’s relationship with Britain were covered, Mrs Treadell spoke strongly in support of the Commonwealth’s former British colonies, and ‘realms’ like Canada and Australia, which had so far chosen to remain constitutional monarchies. ‘I would much prefer to be a High Commissioner,’ she said, ‘than an Ambassador.’

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

The High Commissioner also spoke about the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, the first time that Heads will have met in a ‘Small Island Developing State’ from the Pacific. Samoa’s High Commissioner to Australia, H.E. Ms Hinauri Petana, was among guests at the dinner. Samoa remains a constitutional monarchy after more than 60 years of independence from Britain.

The theme chosen to mark this year’s CHOGM is One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.  The Meeting will decide on a new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to replace the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC who has completed two terms.

The Meeting, from 21 to 26 October, will mark the 75th anniversary of CHOGM.

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